First Hint
by Elise Marie
Summary: After Ron tried to tell Hermione about the newest decree from Umbridge and realised that he could not enter the girls' dormitory, he questions how he managed it in the first year. Takes place in Chap 17 OoP. Answers Plot "issue" with First Year.


**Title: **First Hint

**Book: **Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix.

**Spoilers: **Up until "Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four", Chapter 17 of OoP.

**Warnings: **None.

**Rating: **T/PG-13.

**Category: **Ron/Hermione friendship/romance.

**Summary: **After Ron tried to tell Hermione about the newest decree from Umbridge and realised that he could not enter the girls' dormitory, he questions how he managed it in the first year.

**Disclaimer: All characters and the universe they exist in belong to J.K Rowling and her publishers. This piece of fan-fiction was created solely for entertainment purposes and no money was exchanged. No copyright infringement was intended and the original characters, situations and plots are property of the author. This piece of fan-fiction must not be archived without the author's consent.**

**Author's Notes: **This is the 6th in my "First" series and although you don't have to have read the others, reading the first one "First Year" would be very handy as this answers the plot issue that I had in that. Essentially, I had not read all of the books when I wrote that and therefore didn't know about the girls' dormitory. Here is why it wasn't an issue and why Ron was allowed up to see Hermione. The final spoken sentence is not mine and is directly from page 324.

I'd also like to say that I find it absolutely amazing that the 5th First (Daydream) has had over 1500 hits in about a week. Thank you to everyone who has read it and special thanks to everyone who has reviewed it. In number of hits, it has beaten my oldest Stargate fic!

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It was Monday lunchtime and Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were all sitting at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, eating their lunch. The Great Hall was as noisy as normal with children of all years and all houses chatting about their day. It would not surprise anyone that a lot of the children were discussing Umbridge and her latest educational decree, banning all clubs, teams and societies. Aside from a select few, most people did not appreciate Umbridge's methods or the changes that she was enforcing. Ron and his two closest friends had their own ways of getting around her rules, but that did not always do much to improve their general mood about school. Ron knew that Harry had been a lot happier all weekend since the first meeting of students who all wanted to learn from Harry. Ron was not sure if it was because Harry was pleased that people looked up to him or that there were at least some other people out there that believed him concerning You-Know-Who having returned. Ron often felt that no one really believed in him, but he was used to it by now. He was also looking forward to the next meeting, because whenever the limelight was on Harry, some of it shone down onto Ron, too. Ron glanced up at his best friend who was eating his pudding, and then to Hermione who was seated next to Harry. She had already finished her lunch and was reading _Hogwarts: A History_. That was the book that she had said told her about the Gryffindor girls' dormitory rules.

Swallowing the piece of pie that he had been chewing, Ron spoke to Hermione: "Hermione, why did the stairs not allow me to come upstairs to you?" He knew that she had already told him it was because of the founders and how they had decided that boys were less trustworthy than girls, but he was not satisfied with that answer alone.

"I told you this morning, Ron," Hermione started without looking up from her book. She sounded slightly annoyed with him. "The founders thought that boys were less trustworthy than girls."

Ron took another mouthful of pie whilst Hermione continued reading. She had not even looked up from her book to answer him. He swallowed the pie quickly, without chewing it fully. "Well, then how come it didn't do it in first year?" he asked. All three of them were aware that in the first year, Hermione had been incredibly upset and after yelling at all of the other boys had stormed to her dormitory alone. It was Ron that had gone upstairs to see if she was okay. No one else knew what had been wrong with Hermione other than Ron, Hermione and Professor McGonagall. The Professor had come upstairs after being alerted to Hermione's situation by Snape. Hermione had only told Ron what had happened after she had left with McGonagall.

"I don't know," Hermione answered still trying to read and sounding annoyed.

""But you've read _Hogwarts: A History_ and you're supposed to know everything!"

"It's a _history_, Ron, not a full encyclopaedia." She was getting more and more aggravated by him. "Try asking someone else."

Ron considered this a moment and then dropped his spoon down onto his half eaten pie. "Fine," he declared. "Maybe I will." As he stomped away from the table he did not notice the puzzled looks which Harry and Hermione shared with regards to Ron Weasley leaving food on his plate. Ron headed straight for the staff room and was in the middle of asking the gargoyles if he could speak with Professor McGonagall when she happened to walk past. Before he could explain what it was that he wanted to talk to her about, the Professor led him to her classroom. Once inside, she sat down behind her desk and motioned for him to stand in front of her.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Weasley?" she asked whilst also looking through some papers on her desk.

"I was wondering, Professor, if you could explain why boys aren't allowed in the girls' dormitory."

McGonagall halted in her search and looked at him over the top of her glasses. She smiled at him. "It was you who tried this morning."

Confusion flooded his face, but he nodded slightly in confirmation. "How did you know?" he asked slowly.

She tilted her head to the right and Ron saw a funny looking shape on the wall which was black in colour. He had no idea what it was. "That, Mr. Weasley, is an alarm. It flashes and makes a minor amount of noise whenever a boy sets foot on the girls' stairwell. It went off this morning, but by the time I got up there everyone had gone to breakfast. The founders decided when they built the school that boys were less trustworthy than girls. That is why Miss Granger, and any other girl at all, is allowed in your dormitory, but not the other way around."

"Why aren't boys trusted?" Ron asked.

"They are, just not in respect to the girls."

"That's unfair."

"Perhaps, Mr. Weasley, but think about all of those hormones you and the other boys have swimming around inside of you. Although, in my opinion, girls can be just as bad," she admonished whilst shaking her head. "Unfortunately, there is nothing that anyone can do about certain charms within Hogwarts. The founders did not want to take the risk with boys."

"Why do people keep blaming hormones for everything?" he asked. "I'm the same as I was three years ago."

McGonagall smiled at him, moving to get up from behind her desk. "Maybe so, for the time being at least." She motioned for him to sit at one of the student desks and she leant against the front of her desk, facing him. "Can I presume that you have come to speak with me concerning today and a certain incident that transpired in first year?"

Ron was still puzzled by her first comment, but nodded and tried to focus on the answer he was about to receive. "Why was I trusted in first year, but not now? Is it because I have new hormones now?" He spoke sarcastically because he still had no idea what the fuss was about 'hormones'. Hermione had confused him during the last summer holidays by accusing him of spying on her because of hormones. He was just confused by her and all of these so called hormones.

She smiled at him. "It's not quite that simple, Mr. Weasley. You see on that occasion Miss Granger was very upset, was she not?"

Ron nodded again. "Yeah, she was really…" he tried to search for the right words, feeling almost as uncomfortable now as he had back then. "Ill and in pain," he finished. Hermione had been having her first period and had been at a bit of a loss as to how to deal with it.

"And there were no other Gryffindor girls around in the dormitory or common room?"

"No, I don't think so. It was just me and the other first year boys, plus Fred and George."

"Well, you see, the magic on those stairs is intuitive and it recognised that whilst you are a boy and should have been prevented from gaining entry, you were trying to help someone whom you care for deeply. It understood that she was alone and that you had the right intentions. This morning when you tried to speak with Miss Granger, none of those reasons were present and it was also the time of day when everyone was getting dressed."

"So," Ron started, thinking hard about what she was saying, "with the right intentions, _anyone_ could go up there?"

She shook her head. "No, honourable intentions alone will not allow you admittance. On that occasion you were trying to help someone whom you care deeply about. The intentions need to be the most honourable and need to come from the right person. The magic involved on those stairs recognised how dear Miss Granger is to you and how significant those feelings are."

Ron considered this for a moment. "You're saying that because I'm Hermione's best friend and I just wanted to help her, the magic let me up the stairs? And that Harry could have gone up there too?"

"I believe it is quite likely that Harry could have gone up there, but I'm not one hundred percent positive." Minerva McGonagall knew that there were great differences in the relationships between Hermione and Ron, and Harry and Hermione. She also knew that this was not necessarily the right time to reveal this to the youngest male Weasley.

"Because we played a game of squid, troll, fairy and I lost. That doesn't seem very honourable to me." Ron mumbled the last part, but looked up at McGonagall to see her smiling.

"Mr. Weasley, did you go up there on a mission to seek to comfort her and heal whatever was causing her to be upset?"

"Yeah, but Harry would have too."

"Mr. Weasley, I do not have any doubt in my mind that whilst yours and Mr. Potter's intentions toward Miss Granger are similar, they are not borne from the same feelings."

"Huh?" Ron questioned in utter confusion.

Professor McGonagall stood up straight and walked back to her seat. She resumed her search for something amongst her papers as she spoke. "Lunch is almost over, Mr. Weasley. Hurry to class."

With his mouth still gaping slightly in confusion, Ron left the classroom in search of Harry before their afternoon Divination class. He found Harry and Hermione in the courtyard and headed over to them.

"What did she say then?" Harry asked whilst Hermione barely even glanced at him.

"She said it's because I wanted to help Hermione and that there was no other female present so the magic allowed me. This morning wasn't like that." As Ron spoke he was still confused by the other things which Professor McGonagall had spoken of, but they were not the others' concern.

"Aren't you sweet, Ronald?" Hermione smiled.

Ron's stomach did an odd sort of funny flip as Harry raised an eyebrow and then changed the subject. "Maybe I'll skive off Divination."

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The End.

Next Fic: First Dance.


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